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Children poisoned after man fakes vehicle repair with duct tape and soup can

A 31-year-old man faces felony theft charges after he offered to fix a Warsaw woman's van, but instead exchanged the parts for cash and used duct tape and a soup can as a replacement part. Two children later got carbon monoxide poisoning.

WARSAW -- A 31-year-old man faces charges of theft and criminal recklessness after he offered to repair his neighbor's van, but instead exchanged the parts for cash and used spray paint, a soup can and duct tape to fake the repairs, as reported by The Elkhart Truth's news partner WNDU 16.

WNDU reports that David Roper, of Warsaw, told his neighbor he would fix her van if she bought the parts. He later admitted to authorities that he returned the parts to the store and kept the money.

On Oct. 12, while running errands, a woman noticed her 8-year-old daughter and a friend's 3-year-old daughter were unresponsive, as reported by Stacey Page Online. The woman called 911 and all three were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.

When police investigated the woman's vehicle, they found a soup can fastened to the belly of the van by burned duct tape. Stacey Page Online stories state that police believe Roper taped the soup can in place of one of the parts -- a catalytic converter -- and spray painted other old parts so they would appear new.